What Nationals Fans Should Monitor When Harry Ford Competes in World Baseball Classic
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Entering spring training, one of the Washington Nationals players with the most buzz was Harry Ford.
Following his acquisition from the Seattle Mariners as the headlining return of the Jose A. Ferrer trade, the star catching prospect was seen as someone who could potentially unseat incumbent starter Keibert Ruiz and be behind the plate on Opening Day.
That could still happen. But if he's going to make his case for being the No. 1 option, he'll have to do it away from camp. That's because Ford is set to compete for Great Britain in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, as the 23-year-old will depart for that tournament in early March.
Nationals Fans Should Monitor Harry Ford's Defense During WBC
Ford will not be out of sight, out of mind when he's at the WBC, though. And according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, there is one clear thing Nationals fans should keep their eye on when it comes to how the youngster is performing.
"The questions about Ford's defense are more in the framing and running game area, so I'd keep an eye on those things as a guide toward his early-season big league playing time," McDaniel wrote when discussing what can be learned from his upcoming performance at the World Baseball Classic.
To this point in Ford's career, he has been more known for his bat than his defense. That is for good reason since he has a career minor league slash line of .266/.405/.428 with double-digit home runs in three out of his four full seasons. But if he's going to become an everyday catcher at the big league level, then the actual defensive aspect of his game has to take a step forward.
harry ford season 1 teaser trailer pic.twitter.com/hYx4m3zhJv
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How competing in the WBC impacts Ford will be interesting to monitor. Because he seemingly is in a battle for Washington's starting catcher position -- although the team seems comfortable entering the year with Ruiz owning that spot -- there's a chance being out of camp burns him.
Without the ability to work with the new regime and coaching staff in person for a period of time, conventional wisdom would suggest that might hurt him when it comes to winning the starting job. However, if he has a good showing on the monster stage that is the World Baseball Classic, then that could go a long way for the perception that he is ready for the next step of his career.
Overall, there is a lot for Nationals fans to pay attention to when it comes to Ford. And even though he'll be competing for Great Britain, he's someone to monitor closely over the next couple of weeks after the tournament gets underway.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai